Review: Super Furry Animals

It’s been a long time since I have seen fans so enthused by a gig so deafening with energy that the PA system in a venue like the size of the Usher Hall blew; being reminded of having been a kid in the nineties when your tape would start playing up, the Super Furry Animals had to take themselves off stage mid-way through playing their first album, Fuzzy Logic, in consecutive order.

This SFA tour is a simple performance of the 20-year-old luminescent Fuzzy Logic and the slightly younger Radiator, with some cheeky EPs thrown in. Played consecutively with flashcards telling us which is Side One and Side Two of each, the gig provided an opportunity for SFA enthusiasts to nostalgically enjoy tracks rarely played live before.

A venue full of fans declaring their love for their debut album, many wearing Fuzzy Logic were disappointed with the PA breaking, concerned that the gig might potentially close early but in true SFA style the band plodded on, dressed routinely in their white clean suits, and the fans were elated.

Playing almost in complete darkness with a psychedelic laser show that would rival many, and a backdrop that spun like a one-armed bandit to announce the next track in three characters, S 4 W obviously being Something For The Weekend. There was a real sense of novelty to this gig, as with most SFA shows, with prompts to applause and applaud louder as well as a re-appearance of the yeti costumes.

The fans stuck with the band until the end of the show, which saw them play The Man Don’t Give a Fuck, a much-loved favourite, from the response it received. As tight and psychedelic as ever, the band were on top form despite the technical hitches, and I only relish the day that I see another gig with so much high-driven energy from fans and band alike.